Tamara Codor, Artist and Furniture Designer

Designer and stuff maker Tamara Codor utilizes reclaimed and sustainable elements in the streamlined side tables and seemingly weightless, Bauhaus-style shelving units she makes with business partner Sterling Voss, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it. The components have been buffed, shined, and redefined; the native Brooklynite with the fine art background “brings a glamorous twist” to low-impact living rooms and green luxury lofts from here to Miami—and, recently, Manila. When she can manage time away from the workroom, she brings a pretty sophisticated turn to the archetype of the hands-on artisan, too.

WearingI inherited the skirt from an ex-roommate whose family was among the social elite in New York. The top I made by cutting the tutu off a ballerina dress. I don’t buy anything new but I dislike the kitschy irony of vintage. I have a primal hunter-gatherer thing; I like having to work for style and being creative about it.

Dual Citizenship I love getting dressed up. As a New Yorker, it’s natural for me and I think people appreciate that. But then again when friends see me in paint-covered overalls, I get all kinds of compliments. They go, “You should wear those all the time!” But the thing is, I do!

Decisions, DecisionsModern life allows us to curate our existence, and I advocate making choices based on aesthetics. It may sound shallow, but is it any more arbitrary than making a decision based on prices and proximity? You can choose the cheap coffee shop or the one that’s near your house or the one that’s really well appointed and has a great soundtrack.

Atmospheric PressureI feel best in places that attract interesting people who like to dress well, and where all of the elements—food, music, furnishings—have been considered so they work together. Oddfellows, Ba Bar, Clever Bottle, and Vito’s usually do it for me.